George Town, Grand Cayman, January 31, 2019

George Town is the largest city and capital of the Cayman Islands.  It is also a global financial center.  The Equinox is stopped in Hog Sty Bay

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from which we are tendering ashore.  We were one of the first to board the 10:15 tender ashore. 

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Welcome to George Town.

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I know it’s boring to hear but the weather is sunny, warm (in the 80s) and breezy.  We feel sorry for those at home in the continental U.S. who are suffering under brutally cold weather.  Unfortunately, we will soon be back and suffering along with you.

There are at least five cruise ships in Hog Sty Bay this morning, all disgorging passengers into this beautiful port.

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By my estimate there must be somewhere in the vicinity of approximately 15,000 people being set loose to shop and spend their hard-earned money.  It’s interesting to me but I don’t think any of the ships here have played out their anchors.  Take a look for anchor chains.

We docked at the North Terminal tender pier, which served as a pinch point.

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Then, all of a sudden, we were through and let loose on the shops of George Town.

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We had nothing to buy and no where to go.  We were just strolling around, going to buy a postcard and stamp, and return to the ship for lunch.  We stopped at the post office and met the nicest clerk.  She was very chatty.  She asked us if we knew what was the most contagious thing in her work place.  When we said we had no idea she told us it is pregnancy; her co-worker got pregnant only shortly thereafter for her to “catch” one too.

Outside the post office is, as one would expect, a mail box.  As we passed by we saw a couple taking photos of each other.  I offered to take one of the two of them.  Then, before they took a photo of us, we got into a “conversation” about the fact that they were from Japan.  By the use of hand signals, gestures and facial expressions we were able to tell them we will be cruising around Japan this spring.  The only word I know in Japanese is “arigatou” which means “thank you.”  Then we bowed to each other and went our sperate ways.

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As we strolled around we passed by the Law Courts . . .

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. . . And the law school.

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We even saw a couple of chickens roaming free although at the moment behind bars.

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As we made our way through the town we stumbled upon this entertaining policeman directing traffic.

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We took a convenient tender back to the ship for lunch.   As usual, we sat at the Oceanview Bar

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on the stern of the ship.  We have enjoyed the food in the Oceanview Cafe throughout the trip.  It has really been good.  A glass of wine and some good food makes for a terrific lunch.  Here are two photos of the interior of the Oceanview Cafe.

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We returned to our cabin to prepare for dinner.  We decided to have pre-dinner cocktails in the Sky Lounge.

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As we sat there, by the window overlooking the bow, a lovely women, named Elynn, offered to take our photo.  It was a nice gesture which resulted in a nice photo.

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Then she asked if we would like to join her and her friends, Duke, and his wife Pattie, which we did.  We were happy we made that decision; these are really nice folks.  As it turned out, Elynn was from Pennsauken, New Jersey, only miles from our home in Haddonfield.  And, she graduated from high school shortly after JoAnn and me.  As things developed, Duke and Elynn’s husband Donald, who subsequently joined us, were both in the military; Duke was a Marine jet pilot, and Donald was in the submarine corp and was also a pilot.  They really deserve our appreciation for their years of service.  To be clear, I was in the Air Force.  Here is a photo of our new friends.

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After they left we stayed a few minutes for a couple of dances and then it was off to the dining room.  It is a pleasant room although some what sterile since it is all in white.

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From dinner we decided to visit the shops on board.  They have a wide selection of products.

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As luck would have it we bumped into Captain Kate watching people dance to music played by the silent DJ’s.  Here is a photo of passengers wearing headphones in which they can select to which DJ they want to listen.

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So, there is no music played out loud, it is all transmitted by Bluetooth to the headphones they are wearing.  The passengers can choose among the three DJ’s and their music selections.

Captain Kate is really personable and gracious.  We spoke with her for a couple of minutes and then, to end our evening we took this photo with her.

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From there it was back to stateroom 9246 in preparation for a last day at sea.

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